Crystal



Sept. 11, 1945.

w. E. KUENSTLE-R CRYSTAL Filed Sept 2. 1944 IN V EN TOR.

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" position of the same.

Patented Sept. ll, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 23 Walter E. Kama;:llflslfle Park, N. J.

Application September No. 552,481

Claims.

This invention relates to crystals of the character employed in radiowork, such as c ystals of quartz, tourmaline, or other piezo-electricmaterial, and-one of the objects of the inventicnis to provide animproved mounting and housing means of superior construction forcrystals of this character.

' In my co-pending applications for patent, Serial Nos. 529,610, filedApril 5th, 1944, and 547,692, filed August 2nd, 1944, I disclosehousings or casings for crystals, the housings or casings therein shownbeing composed of plastic materials, such as glass, or any of thenumerous plastics having insulating characteristics as well asresistance to moisture and climatic conditions. The present inventioncontemplates the use of a casing or housing of this character, andcontemplates also the provision of means by which a greatly improvedmethod of assembly for the various parts of the structure may be had,thereby materially speeding up the production of the crystals and at thesame time insuring precision and accuracy of assembly.

For example, in the conventional method of assembling a crystal of thischaracter, it is necessary to provide lead wires extending from thecontact pins to the electrodes between which the crystal is sandwiched,such lead wires being usually soldered or otherwise fused to the pinsand to the electrodes. In the present improved structure, suchfusingtogether of the parts is dispensed with, yet perfect electricalcontact between the parts is assured by the particular dis- In theaccompanying drawing, wherein several embodiments of the invention areshown, Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a crystal assembly,constructed in accordance with the invention;

4 and 5, and a pair of spring plates 6 and 1 between which the crystaland electrodes are sandwiched and which hold the crystal and electrodesin place and apply pressure upon them.

At the bottom of the recess is provided a raised central portion 8,moulded as a part of the housing, and provided with a pair of transverseribs 9 on which the crystal and electrodes rest, as clearly Seen inFig. 1. At HI and H are shown the contact pins, which have theirrespective end portions l2 and I3 embedded in the body portion I of thehousing, each of these end portions having a rounded terminal or tip I lprojecting into the recess or chamber 2 so that it is accessible to adoubled-over spring tongue formed lower end of the plate 8 rests againstand estab- Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken at right I ingmaterial, such as glass or of any one of the other. suitable plasticmaterials satisfactory for the purpose. The body portion l is providedwith an interior chamber or recess 1, so shaped as to snugly accommodatethe crystal 3, the'electrodes lishes electrical contact with theterminal l4 of the contact pin II.

The recess or chamber 2 is open at one end, herein referred to asthe"top," and in the assembly of the device, the parts contained withinthe housing are inserted through this top opening. after which a.closure member or cover, indicated at I1, is placed in position to closethe opening, and then the body portion l and the closure member aresecured together, such as by being fused or flame-sealed if the housingparts I and H are composed of glass or similar fusible in position toclose the housing, its inner end II will come into contact with theupper ends of the spring plates 6 and I and flex or bow the sameoutwardly to a considerable extent, or as shown in Fig. 2. The result ofthis flexure of the plates 8 and l is to cause parts of the plates suchas shown at If and 22, to be urged inwardly, or toward the crystal andelectrodes, with some pressure so that the two plates 6 and 1 thus tendto clamp or compress the crystal 3 and electrodes 4 and 5 between them.The result is that the plates 0 and I, being under end-wise compression,are flexed to cause them to not only hold the crystal and electrodesfrom shifting, but also apply the required pressure on these elements tomaintain the required frequency.

The imposition of end-wise pressure on the bowed spring plates 6 and iby the closure member I! also tends to force these plates in a directiontoward the terminal ends [4 of the contact pins l and ii so that as aresult, the doubleover spring tongues i and i6 are held resiliently butfirmly in contact with these ends l4. Ac-

cordingly, the spring plate 6 being in contact with the electrode 4, andhaving its spring tongue in contact with the terminal end of the contactpin ii establishes electrical connection between the electrode 4 and thecontact pin i I. Similarly, the spring plate 1, being in contact withthe electrode 5 and having its spring tongue I! in contact with thecontact pin in, establishes electrical connection between the electrode5 and the pin iii.

In the manufacture of the assembly described, the housing body i ismoulded around the pinends i2 and I3, and the terminals H of these pinsare exposed in the chamber or recess 2. The crystal and electrodes aresandwiched between the spring plates 6 and 'l and these parts are theninserted in the housing body i through the then open top of the same.The closure member is then placed in position and this causes the plates6 and i to be flexed as hereto- -fore described to cause them tocompress the crystal and electrodes between them, and to be also urgedtoward the terminal ends I4 so that the spring tongues l5 and I6 will beurged into firm contact against these pin-ends. The closure member isthen fused to the body i by being flame-sealed thereto, and the assemblyof the device is then completed.

It is to be noted that the establishment of the required electricalconnections between the several parts of the device is securedautomatically by merely placing the parts together in their requiredpositions, such placement of the parts not only placing the crystal andelectrodes under desired compression, but also compressing the springtongues against the ends of the contact pins and thereby establishingpositive electrical contact therewith. Thus the possibility of corrodedfused joints between the parts is completely obviated.

In the structure shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the crystal 3 is provided withelectrodes 24 and 25 in the form of layers or coatings intimatelyattached or applied to the opposite faces of the crystal. With thisarrangement it may be found desirable to establish a very positivecontact with these coatings and the spring plates 6 and 1, andaccordingly the spring plates may be provided with pointed or conicalprojections 26 which are firmly forced against the electrodes by thefiexure of the spring plates 6 and 7 in the manner described in respectto the structype shown at I and 5, or the surfaces of the plates 6 and 1may be roughened .is in fact invisible) a watertight sealed closureresults, maintaining the contents safely under all conditions of use.

What I claim is:

1. In a crystal assembly, a housing having a recess, a crystal andelectrodes located in said recess, a contact pin having a partprojecting into the recess, a resilient plate member imposing pressureagainst the crystal and electrodes, said plate. having a part urgedresiliently against the portion oi the contact pin located in therecess, a part of the housing being operative against the plate memberto cause the same to exert pressure against the crystal and electrodesand to cause the pin-contacting part to be urged toward the pin.

2. In a crystal assembly, a housing provided with a recess containing acrystal sandwiched between electrodes, a pair of spring plates betweenwhich the crystal and electrodes are held, a spring extension on eachplate, contact pins each having an end disposed in the recess, one orthe spring extensions being held in resilient contact with ach pin-end,and a closure member on the housing operative against the spring platesto cause them to compress the crystal and electrodes between them.

' 3. In a crystal assembly, a housing provided with a recess containinga crystal sandwiched between electrodes, a pair of spring plates betweenwhich the crystal and electrodes are held, a spring extension on eachplate, contact pins each having an end disposed in the recess, one ofthe spring extensions being held in resilient contact with each pin-end,and a closure member on the housing operative against the spring platesto cause them to compress the crystal and electrodes between them, saidclosure member being also operative to urge said plate toward thecontact pins to hold the resilient spring extensions in firm contactwith the ends of said pins.

4. In a crystal assembly, a housing of glass or similar plasticmaterial, said housing being provided with a recess, a pair of contactpins having parts embedded in the body of the housing and ends exposedwithin the recess, a pair of electrodes and a crystal between the samelocated within the recess, a pair of spring plates between which thecrystal and electrodes are sandwiched, each of said spring plates beingprovided with a doubled-over tongue portion at one end held in contactwith the end of one of the pins, and a part of th housing exertingendwise pressure on the spring plates for flexing parts of the platestoward the electrodes and for urging the spring tongues on the platestoward the pins.

5. In a crystal assembly, a housing 01' insulating material having a'recess, a crystal and electrodes carried in said recess, at least onespring plate overlying one of the electrodes and in resilient contacttherewith, means for urging said spring plate toward the electrodes withwhich it contacts, and a bent spring tongue on the plate. a contact pinhaving a part entering the recess and located in contact with the bentspring tongue.

6; In a crystal assembly, a housing having a recess, a crystal andelectrodes carried therein,

a spring plate overlying one of the electrodes and in contact therewith,means for urging said spring plate toward the electrode with which itcontacts, a bent spring tongue on the plate, a contact pin having a partentering the recess and located in contact with the bent spring tongue,the means for urging the spring plate toward the electrode alsourgingthe bent spring tongue toward and into contact with the end of thepin.

'7. In a crystal assembly, a housing including a block of insulatingmaterial having a recess provided with a bottom formed with a raisedcentral part, a crystal and lectrodes located in the recess and restingupon the raised central part thereof, contact pins embedded in the blockand having inner ends exposed within the recess on opposite sides of theraised central part, a pair of plates between which the crystal andelectrodes are located, each plate having an extended doubledover springtongue held against a pin end, the housing having a part operative tourge the spring tongues toward the pin ends and also to flex the platesand cause them to exert pressure on the crystal and electrodes heldbetween them.

8. In a crystal assembly, a housing. a crystal and electrodes locatedtherein, spring plates between which the crystal and electrodes areheld, and a part of the housing operative against one edge of each ofthe plates to flex the plates and cause parts of the same to compressthe crystal and electrodes between them.

9. In a crystal assembly, a housing. a crystal and electrodes therein,spring plates between which the crystal and electrodes are held, and apart of the housing operative against one end of the plates to bow theplates and cause them to compress the crystal and electrodes betweenthem, contact pins in the housing and parts of the plates held intoresilient contact with said pins by the housing means operative againstthe plates.

10. In a crystal assembly, a housing, a crystal and electrodes therein,contact pins in the housing and having parts projecting therefrom,spring plates in the housingv held in contact with the electrodes, andspring tongues formed on and extending from the plates and heldresillentLv against parts of the pins within the housing.

11. In a crystal assembly, a housing, a crystal and electrodes therein,contact pins in the housing and having parts projecting therefrom, apair of spring plates in the housing between which the crystal andelectrodes are sandwiched, spring tongues integrally formed on andextending from the plates, said tongues being doubled upon themselvesand held in contact with parts of the .pins on the inside of thehousing.

12. In a crystal assembly, a housing, a crystal and electrodes therein,contact pins in the housing and having parts projecting therefrom, apair of spring tongues resiliently urged against the ends of the contactpins, and plates extended from said tongues and resiliently held incontact with the electrodes.

13. In a crystal assembly, a housing formed of glass or similarmaterial, said housing having an interior recess, a crystal andelectrodes fitted within said recess, a pair of spring plates betweenwhich the crystal and electrodes are sandwiched, contact pins havingterminals projecting into the recess, the spring plates having integraltongues held in contact with the terminals of .the pins, and a closuremember closing the recess and fusibly attached to the housing, saidclosure member being operative against portions of the spring plates tocause said plates to grip the electrodes and crystal between them and tohold the tongues into contact with the pin terminals.

14. In a crystal assembLv, a crystal having its opposite facesmetallic-coated, a pair of spring plates between which the crystal issandwiched, the faces of said plates having projections resting againstthe coated faces of the crystal, a pair of contact pins, the springplates each having a resilient tongue held against one of the contactpins, and means for placing the spring plates under pressure, said meansconstituting part of a housing in which the crystal, the plates and thecontact pins are contained.

15. In a crystal assembly, a housing, a metallic-faced crystal therein,contact pins in the housing and having parts projecting therefrom, apair of spring tongues resiliently urged against the ends of the contactpins, and plates extended from said tongues and resiliently held incontact with the metallic-faced crystal.

WALTER, E. KUENB'I'IER.

